Believe me when I say I have absolutely no idea what was happening in this movie. I feel okay about this since I am pretty sure that was the point. This movie had a million things going on at once, and the audience was dragged along for the ride whether they liked it or not. Blanketed by superb performances across the board (Cera was especially surprising with his decent grasp of the Spanish language) and shot uncomfortably well, I had a hard time finding things I didn't like, but I was the most uncomfortable I'd felt during a film in a long time.
Alicia (Temple) is vacationing with her cousin (Browning). She is thrust into situations she cannot handle and begins to slowly unhinge. Her cousin and friends (Silva and Cera) are not much help until she is already too far gone, and there is no clear explanation to what actually happens to Alicia. She seems to fall apart mentally, but at the same time, the audience is given this feeling of something else in the air"”energy, a spirit, who knows"”but something that isn't just shitty brain chemistry. Or at least that is what we are led to believe. Or maybe I'm completely wrong. Silva's ability to blend the surreal with the real is rare"”I enjoy and hate being transported to an unfamiliar place just to adore every second in my hell. Thanks to the invasive cinematography, the audience feels violated. This movie frustrated the hell out of me, but I spent the rest of the night talking about it. I recommend seeing it alone, as conversation post-film might be difficult.
